Medical visualization systems, for instance medical microscopes or medical cameras, allow a user, such as a surgeon or other medical staff, to view objects in a light path on which the visualization system is focused. During a procedure, however, a surgeon may need to view multiple images simultaneously, for instance, in side-by-side comparison or superimposed, or may need to keep track of information (e.g., data) located outside of the light path or field of view. For instance, a surgeon may require confirmation of anatomical and/or surgical landmarks, e.g., navigational assistance, or may require confirmation of anatomical locations, e.g., to identify cancer margins during diagnosis or tumor resection. Such information may include real-time or static information, such as other images, e.g., magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), optical coherence tomography (OCT), x-ray, or fluorescien angiography (FA) images, patient data, e.g., vital signs or medical records, and/or operation parameters of one or more medical instruments. The ability to incorporate external data into a surgeon's image space in order to relay data points to the surgeon without the surgeon looking away from the surgical field is of great value. Exemplary visualization systems are described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,800,820, granted to the inventor hereof, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. There remains a need, however, for visualization systems capable of incorporating external data into the surgeon's field of vision via, for example, a surgical microscope or eyewear device that a user, such as a surgeon or other medical professional, may use during medical procedures, to help the surgeon to “navigate” through the procedure. Further, there is a need for an improved surgical navigation system capable of incorporating external data points, such as three-dimensional data points and registered anatomical and pathological landmarks, into a surgeon's field of vision for real-time navigational assistance to manipulate surgical instruments into a desired location with respect to a portion of a patient upon which a surgical procedure is being performed.
When viewing an image through a microscope or other similar viewing device, an operator can directly view a real-time, live image located within the light path of the device. This image may appear three-dimensional due to the nature of binocular vision, because the glass viewing lenses are situated directly in front of each eye. Such a viewing arrangement may not be possible when the medical camera or other image capture device is located at a distance from the viewer, for instance, within a patient. In this case, external displays set some distance from the image capture device, such as monitors or medical eyewear, may be utilized. The image capture device may relay information to external processors and/or displays for operator viewing. Such displays are two-dimensional, and an image is created using pixels on the display. Thus, unlike microscopes or more direct viewing devices, the displayed image may not appear three-dimensional. During medical procedures, for instance, an operator may require three-dimensional images to efficiently treat or diagnose a patient. Thus, a need remains for improved systems and methods capable of producing three-dimensional images that may be integrated with external data.